Doug LaMalfa Listens Politely to Nevada County

I notice that quite a few people did what we did: we watched Yubanet’s video while listening to KVMR’s audio stream, because the rough acoustics in the auditorium created a lot of distortion in Yubanet’s mic. I’m happy that Yubanet managed to do video coverage at all. This bodes well for the future. If they’d had a mic at the podium, it would have been very workable. Maybe they can now get into the NID board meetings with their video setup?

Overall, I was impressed with the degree of civility in the meeting, and I was also impressed with how well the progressive forces in our community had organized. This also bodes well for the future.

Questions and comments about Obamacare and Trumpcare seemed to be the dominant concern of the crowd. LaMalfa insists that Obamacare is “falling apart,” which is certainly not true. Such problems as it has could be solved by a single payer system, such as Medicare For All, an idea oft repeated by commenters yesterday.

LaMalfa pretty much hewed to the GOP party line. Very few surprises there. I suspect that he’s very comfortable in Washington, even though he shouldn’t be.

Speaking of which, check out Robert Reich’s latest post on the turmoil in DC (from his Facebook post):

I’ve spent much of this week in Washington – talking with friends still in government, former colleagues, high-ranking Democrats, a few Republican pundits, and some members of Congress from both sides of the aisle. It was my first visit to our nation’s capital since Trump became president.

My verdict:

Washington is more divided, angry, bewildered, and fearful – than I’ve ever seen it.

The angry divisions aren’t just Democrats versus Republicans. Rancor is also exploding inside the Republican Party.

Republicans (and their patrons in big business) no longer believe Trump will give them cover to do what they want to do. They’re becoming afraid Trump is genuinely nuts, and he’ll pull the party down with him.

Many Republicans are also angry at Paul Ryan, whose replacement bill for Obamacare is considered by almost everyone on Capitol Hill to be incredibly dumb.

I didn’t talk with anyone inside the White House, but several who have had dealings with it called it a cesspool of intrigue and fear. Apparently everyone working there hates and distrusts everyone else.

The Washington foreign policy establishment – both Republican and Democrat – is deeply worried about what’s happening to American foreign policy, and the worldwide perception of America being loony and rudderless. They think Trump is legitimizing far-right movements around the world.

Long-time civil servants are getting ready to bail. If they’re close to retirement they’re already halfway out the door. Many in their 30s and 40s are in panic mode.

Republican pundits think Bannon is even more unhinged than Trump, seeking to destroy democracy as we’ve known it.

Despite all this, no one I talked with thought a Trump impeachment likely, at least not any time soon — unless there’s a smoking gun showing Trump’s involvement in Russia’s intrusion into the election.

Many people asked, bewilderedly, “how did this [Trump] happen?” When Isuggest it had a lot to do with the 35-year-long decline of incomes of the bottom 60 percent; the growing sense, ever since the Wall Street bailout, that the game is rigged; and the utter failure of both Republicans and Democrats to reverse these trends – they gave me blank stares.